This Is A Roof
by Thepopcornpup
Summary: "I walked up and swung open the door, but I was not met with the third-floor hallway as expected. I looked at my surroundings in shock, not sure whether to be annoyed or confused. 'This is a roof,' I deadpanned." (In which Crutchie gets lost and meets our favorite painting Newsie.) (Crutchie's POV) (Modern AU) (One-Shot)
**Author's Note: Hello again! I'd just like to apologize re** **ally quick that this story probably isn't my best work. I wrote the majority of it with a pounding migraine, but I had to write to distract from the migraine.**

 **This story came from a headcanon somewhere on Tumblr that Modern Crutchie got lost on the first day of school and somehow ended up on the roof, where he met Jack. I found this so entertaining that I just had to write it. I don't write Modern AU for Newsies often, though. Canon era stories from the third person POV seem to be my comfort zone with Newsies, but I'm stepping out of that comfort zone for this, so again, apologies if it's not very good.**

 **One last thing: Yes, I named Crutchie "Andy" after Andy Richardson after finding out that he will be my Crutchie! I'm going to see Newsies live for the first time I'm September, and it's an absolute dream come true. I'm beyond excited to see Andy in this incredible show! Ahh!**

 **Anyway, if you read that entire rant, thanks! You've got real patience! Onto the story! I hope you enjoy it ,and if you do, a review would make my day! Thanks for reading!**

* * *

I walked into the huge building and felt my stomach flip as my eyes were met with crowds of teenagers rushing across the school. "Geez," I muttered, squeezing myself through the doorway. I glanced down at my schedule which, luckily for me, was fully equipped with a map of the school. At the top of the schedule, it read Period 1: English (Room 303) "Alrighty, then," I sighed. "Third floor, great."

I hobbled ahead, trying to weave my way through the crowds and find the stairwell. But, as kids shoved each other and ran to their own destinations, I found myself pushed into a wall. My eyes darted from face to face, trying to see where I could possibly squeeze my way into the crowd, but it was no use. I sucked in a breath as I stuck to the wall, waiting for the crowds to clear.

Finally, the bell rings, and, aside from the last few stragglers on their way to class, I'm the only one left in the hall. Luckily, I had a hall pass to excuse being a few minutes tardy, since my limp slowed me down. With another sigh, I started on my way to the stairwell, which was apparently close by. Eventually, I come across the double doors guarding the steps. After heaving it open, I began up the stairs.

"Why isn't there an elevator?" I muttered annoyedly as I slowly made my way up. I was already late to class on my first day, and my crutch and stairs did not get along very well.

I went up what seemed like an endless flight of stairs until I finally reached the top. I looked back at my schedule, then up at the door in front of me. "Well, the third floor is the top floor," I thought aloud. "So, this should be it."

With that, I walked up and swung open the door, but I was not met with the third-floor hallway as expected. I looked at my surroundings in shock, not sure whether to be annoyed or confused.

"This is a roof," I deadpanned.

Sure enough, I was standing on top of the school. But, surprisingly enough, there was one other person up there with me. A boy with dark hair covered by a beanie sat on the rooftop with a sketchbook in his lap. He glanced over at me and commented, "This is a roof. Nice observation there, Crutchie."

"It's Andy," I responded quickly, self-consciously tapping my crutch on the ground.

"Well, you ain't got a name tag on, but you do got a crutch, so..." The boy responded with a shrug. "What brings you up here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," I replied.

The boy shrugged again. "No one thinks to looks up here. It's nice."

I looked around. It _was_ pretty nice, I supposed. The clouds were practically at eye level, and the outline of the Manhattan buildings had neat shadow around it as the sun wasn't all the way in the sky yet.

The boy chuckled. "Would ya believe me if I said I'se been comin' up here for three years now, and no one's ever found me?" He looked at me and added,"Well, I suppose up 'til now."

I chuckled back. "There's a first time for everythin'."

"At least you ain't a teacher," He smirked, standing up and shoving his sketchbook in his pocket. "So, you never answered me. Why're you up here?" He paused briefly, then quickly added, "Not that I mind it or anythin'."

Oh, gosh. How do I explain this? I could feel a blush climbing up my face as I stammered, "I, uh...I got...lost."

The boy laughed, and, if it was even possible at this point, my face got redder. "Lost? How do you get lost and end up on the roof?" He questioned through sniggers.

"Well, uh...I don't really know," The boy made his way towards me as I tried to explain myself. "I was tryin' to get to English and, uh...I blame the map." I held up the map sheepishly.

The boy shook his head, still chuckling. "That's rich," He sighed.

"Well, how'd you find the roof?" I asked, somewhat offended.

"Just kept walkin' up the stairs 'til I saw the door," He answered, grinning. The grin faded as he continued, "Well, more like runnin', with stupid Snyder on my tail. Hey, a piece of advice for you, assumin' you're new here; steer clear of Snyder. He's bad news."

"How'd ya know I was new?" I asked. I also wondered who Snyder was, but I just assumed he was some bully.

"Most kids who ain't new don't get lost on the roof, Crutchie," The boy smirked, raising an eyebrow at me.

The blush from earlier made a quick come-back, returning just as cherry red as before.

"Hey, I mean 'Crutchie' in the nicest way possible," He continued. "It suits ya better than Andy." He paused, then quickly added, "But, I mean, if it's rude, I won't-"

"No, Crutchie's fine," I found myself responding, relieved that he'd dropped the subject of my getting lost. "Is there anything I can call you?"

"Jack," He answered, holding out his hand. "Jack Kelly."

"Nice to meet ya," I beamed and shook his hand. "Andy Morris."

"Ooh, speakin' of Morris," Jack said suddenly. "Another piece of advice; stay away from The Delancey brothers, too. Oscar and Morris are two senior jerkfaces who spend their free-time soakin' people for no real reason."

My stomach did a somersault. My face must have reflected this because Jack added, "But, I bet you don't have to worry about 'em. They're mostly talk. I bet you could take 'em down easy." He glanced at me and grinned. "Use that crutch of yours, huh?" He held up an invisible crutch and pretended to whack two people in the face. "Bam! Bam!"

I rolled my eyes. "Hey, this crutch ain't intended for evil."

"It's not evil; it's classic self-defense," Jack responded with a laugh that echoed across the roof. I found myself laughing, too.

As the laughter died down, Jack asked, "So, uh, what brings you to this school?"

I wasn't sure how to explain the mess of social workers, suitcases, and awkward conversations the past few days had been, so I settled with, "It's kinda complicated."

Jack nodded, and a look of understanding crossed his face. But, it was different from the understanding looks I usually got. This one wasn't sympathy; it was empathy. "Yeah," He said after a moment. "Don't worry, kid, I know complicated."

There was a bit of comfortable silence after this. Jack pulled his sketchbook out of his pocket and began working on a half-finished drawing. Without looking up, he asked, "You a sophmore?"

I nodded and peered over his shoulder. I watched as he shaded in a building that appeared to be made of clay, and I couldn't help but a little mesmerized by the way he seemed to pull this landscape together with just his pencil. "That's really good," I commented without thinking.

Jack shot me a sideways glance and a grin. "Thanks," He replied. "It's supposed to be Santa Fe, but, uh..." He paused and surveyed his work. A small sigh was let out as he continued, "I don't know. I can never quite capture right."

"It looks right to me," I said, looking at the drawing again. I looked up at him sheepishly and added, "Well, I can't speak from experience. I'se never been there. Are you from there?"

Jack chuckled."Boy, I wish! But, if I were from Santa Fe, I woulda never left. Nah, I ain't ever been there. I ain't even left New York."

"Neither have I," I replied. "Been here my whole life. I've moved around New York, though...a lot."

"Me too," Jack looked at me with a sad sort-of smirk. There was another pause before he mused,"You ever wonder what it's like outta the city? Without all the honkin' cars and the crowds and smoke..." He trailed off wistfully. Just when I thought he was lost in some kind of daydream, he continued, "I'm tryin' to get a scholarship for college in New Mexico. I could get outta here, and boy...that'd be somethin' else."

Soon, he was spinning a tale about Santa Fe while continuing his drawing. And, while I'd never really considered a life for myself outside of the city, I found myself captured in the way he described Santa Fe. At some point, we'd both sat down, and I found sitting on the roof next to this near-stranger sharing his dreams quite calming. I could tell that this was something he'd been dying to share, and I couldn't help but feel lucky that I was the one he decided to share it with.

Jack shook his head, suddenly returning to reality. "Anyway," He chuckled, and I could have sworn I saw a blush on his face (even though the Jack I know now would insist that he never gets embarrassed.). "I went off on a tangent there. Sorry 'bout that." He took off his beanie and ran his hand through his hair.

"It's fine." I grinned. "Santa Fe sounds real nice."

Jack smiled. "Maybe I'll get there someday." He looked at me and added, "Maybe you will, too."

A grin spread across my face. "Maybe."

Suddenly, a bell rang and I felt myself jump. "Oh, crud!" I exclaimed. "I missed English!" I scrambled up, fumbling for my crutch and muttering, "Oh, no, no, no, no..."

"Hey, hey, Crutchie!" Jack chuckled, standing up. "Careful now!" He handed me my crutch and said, "Calm down."

"Thanks," I simpered and shoved the crutch under my arm, leaning against the wall for support. "Oh, man. Way to make a first impression, Morris!"

"It's alright," Jack assured. "You want me to help you find your next class?"

"I got it," I replied.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He smirked. "'Cause I don't want you endin' up in the basement this time."

"Fine," I obliged, blushing.

Jack's smirk widened and we began down the stairs. "So, what's your second period?"

I pulled out my schedule and read, "Theatre with Miss Medda."

"Oh, Medda's the best!" Jack grinned.

"You're in her class?" I asked as we stepped out into the hall. The late bell rang out as we did, and felt myself cringe.

"Nah, but I sometimes paint backdrops for the school plays," He explained. "My buddy Davey works Tech, and, you know, I think my pal Romeo is in this class you're goin' to right now."

"Jack Kelly!" A voice from behind us barked.

Jack visibly stiffened. "Crap," He muttered.

"Turn around,and come here, now," The voice ordered.

Jack and I both turned to face a tall man who had to be in his forties. He wore a navy suit with a "campus police" badge, and tag that read, "Officer Snyder." That explains Snyder, I thought.

Snyder looked me up and down before sneering at the both of us. "I see you have a friend. What are you two doing out of class?"

For once, Jack seemed to be silenced.

"You know, if you're caught skipping one more time, you know where I'll have to send you?" Snyder asked with a foul smirk.

"The Refuge," Jack whispered hoarsely.

"It's called the Corrective School," Snyder said smugly. "You don't to go there again, do you?"

Jack shook his head, a look of raw fear in his eyes.

"Now then," Snyder said. "How can you explain this, then?"

I glanced at Jack and saw that he was actually shaking.

"Um, Mr. Snyder?" I piped up.

Snyder shifted his gaze towards me and looked at me like I was gum on the bottom of his shoe. "What is it? And, who are you, anyway?"

"Andy Morris, sir," I answered nervously. "Listen, Jack here's done nothin' wrong. I'm new here, and he was just helpin' me to class." I lifted my crutch and added, "I've got a bit of trouble gettin' around, ya see?"

Snyder glared at me. "You guys need a hall pass."

"What?" I asked, feeling an idea form.

"A hall pass," Snyder said slowly, as if I were stupid. I could feel a glare of my own form on my face at his condescending tone. "Without one, he's skipping."

Jack shot me a nervous look, but I gave him a reassuring nod. I pulled out my hall pass and handed it to Snyder.

He looked it over and shook his head. "This is a handicapped pass. Jack's not handicapped."

"But, I am," I replied, mocking the slow tone he'd used on me earlier. Snyder glowered at me, and I felt a bit of my confidence shrink. In a normal tone, I continued,"And, ya never said we needed a certain type of pass, sir. You just said we needed a hall pass."

Snyder kept his piercing eyes on me for a moment longer. Jack and I held our breath until Snyder rolled his eyes, handed me to pass, and said, "Fine. This works, I guess." He pointed at Jack and added, "But, Kelly, I better not catch you out of class again."

Jack nodded wordlessly, and Snyder walked off.

Jack turned to me, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "Crutchie, that was-"

"That was nothin'," I smirked. "But, you're right. Snyder's a real jerk."

Jack nodded. "Thank you." He said, looking me straight in the eye.

"My pleasure," I replied.

With that, we headed to the theatre room. When we approached the door, Jack knocked on the door rhythmically, his fear from earlier having evaporated. A glamorously-drssed woman swung open the door and her eyes lit up upon seeing Jack. "Hey, Jack!" She exclaimed.

"Miss Medda," Jack gave her a confident nod in greeting.

Miss Medda turned to me and asked, "And, who's this young man?"

"Sorry, I'm late, Miss Medda," I said, holding out my hand for her to shake. "I'm Andy Morris. But, some people call me Crutchie."

Jack lit up and exclaimed, "Hey, I'm some people!"

"Well, come on in, Crutchie," Miss Medda smiled warmly. "There's an empty seat next to Romeo over there."

"Told ya Rome was in this class," Jack said. "Hey, can I ask him a quick question before I go?"

Miss Medda nodded. "Ask away."

Jack turned to me and questioned, "What's your lunch period?"

"I'm in A lunch, I think," I answered.

Jack smirked. "Look for me in the back table, then. I'se got a lot of people to introduce to you."

I smiled. "Thanks, Jack." I began to walk into class, but Jack called my name one more time. I glanced over my shoulder. "Yeah?"

Walking away backwards, Jack called, "I'se got a feelin' we'se gonna be real good friends, Crutchie."


End file.
